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Rika Sasaki
/Image Gallery |back color = #ED1C24 }} Rika Sasaki (佐々木 利佳, Sasaki Rika) is a fictional character in CLAMP's anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. Rika is one of Sakura Kinomoto's classmates in school. She, along with Chiharu Mihara and Naoko Yanagisawa, often appear alongside Sakura at school and during school events. Personality Rika is a very elegant and mature girl for her age, although she can be very shy, especially when it comes to speaking to Yoshiyuki Terada (Rika's teacher). Rika is also a skilled cook, able to bake cakes and cookies with ease. She cannot swim very well at all, as evidenced in the Episode of 63 when she almost drowned, one of the throughout one of Eriol Hiiragizawa's magical trials. Plot Rika is involved in the main plot in Episode 9 when she buys a brooch that is actually a Clow Card in hiding. The Card is revealed to be The Sword, as it materializes in Rika's hands when she puts on the broach and becomes possessed. The possessed Rika attacks Sakura Kinomoto, but Sakura soon distracts Rika using The Illusion and captures The Sword, returning Rika to normal. Near the end of the manga, Rika gives Sakura important advice about love, comparing her situation with Yoshiyuki Terada to how Sakura feels about Syaoran Li (though names are never stated). In the Anime adaption of Clear Card arc, Rika appears twice. The first time is the Episode 5 (voice only), when she apologizes Sakura for cannot accompanies with her to a flower viewing. The second time is Episode 17, when she lends Sakura some picture books. Relationships Yoshiyuki Terada and Rika Sasaki]] Rika is most known for her relationship with Yoshiyuki (Rika's teacher). The student-teacher relationship is not uncommon in Japanese fiction as it can be interpreted as very romantic for a young girl to follow an older man as a student and mentee, only to fall in love with him in the end. Rika and Terada's relationship reflects this innocence and happiness, untainted by criticism and controversy despite their age difference. Their relationship is established early in the manga when Rika and Terada exchange blushing looks (whose true meaning is oblivious to Sakura Kinomoto). At the end of one chapter, Terada presents Rika with a ring, explaining that he hopes one day it will become a wedding ring. Since then, they have continued to exchange moments whenever possible. Their relationship remains unannounced in the series' canon, though Tomoyo Daidouji is able to observe the secret bond they share. In the anime, their relationship appears more onesided where Rika still has a crush on him, enjoys his presence and always shares with him the cakes that she bakes. However, Terada is shown to be oblivious to her feelings: the only moment where he may notice it is when he accepts Rika's teddy bear and decides to name it after her, but this seems to be simply because he considers her his hardest working student and wants to honor her. In Episode 9, when Sakura uses The Illusion to distract a possessed Rika, Sakura commands Illusion to show Rika the person for whom she has the most feelings. The Card shows a colorful silhouette in front of Rika in the shape of Terada. Rika whispers, "Sensei…" ("teacher" in Japanese) before Sakura seals The Sword and releases Rika from her spell. In the manga, the Card in the silhouette of Terada instead appears to lean over Rika from high above, as she looks up at it, whispering the same. In Episode 46, "Sakura and the Last Judgement", Sakura is transported into a world where everyone forgets their feelings towards the person he or she loves most. Sakura sees Terada giving a paper to Rika, but she, instead of responding with a usual blush or knowing glance, takes the paper and simply walks away. Whether Sakura fully realizes this change in Rika's feelings is questionable, but it is evident to the viewer that Rika holds affection for Terada. Cardcaptors Rika's name is changed to the similar-sounding Rita in Cardcaptors. Her mannerisms are mostly the same. However, her shyness and reactions toward Mr. Terada are presented in a way that would imply that she was afraid of him in a more academic sense, instead of Rika being attracted to him: in Rita's case, she has particular problems with spelling and perhaps schoolwork in general, so it may be more about embarrassment about frequently having to stay with the teacher. In Episode 9, instead of Sakura using the Illusion card to show Rika "the one she has the most feelings for," it is changed to "the one she fears the most", in which case would imply that she somewhat dislikes Mr. Terada and is intimidated by him. Trivia * The name Rika 'means "pear" (梨) ('ri) and "blossom, flower" (花) (ka). * Rika's surname Sasaki 'means "help, aid" (佐) ('sa '''and '''sa) and "tree, wood" (木) (ki). * Rika makes a cameo appearance near the end in the third OVA of Magic Knight Rayearth. *In Clear Card Arc, Rika goes to a different school as her school uniform is similar to Fuu Hououji's. **Because Rika is no longer in primary (elementary) school, Yoshiyuki Terada would no longer be teaching her. *Because Sakura Kinomoto age was confirmed to be 13 (going-on-14) in Clear Card arc (despite conflicting with a real-world Japanese school system ), Rika's age would be 1 year older early on as well, due to her birthday being in June and Sakura's being April 1st. (In Japan, the Japanese school year begins in April and ends in March. Rika's birthday of June 24 occurs not long after the school year, and series, begins, aging her a year older very early on. In comparison, Sakura would be the youngest of her class despite her age of 13 in Clear Card Arc.) **Rika's birthday is also stated (by herself) as passing in between the start of the school year and as early as of Chapters 8-9 of the manga (the chapters about the Sword), where it is stated to be winter already, and implied close to Yukito Tsukishiro's birthday (December 25th). **It would pass again as more years passed in the manga or anime, and during any time early summer (June 24) passed. This would likely include Clear Card Arc, during the summer timeframe. *In Chapter 14, Rika's profile states her wishlist is "some American style clothes", possibly hinting at her wanting to break away from her traditional Japanese upbringing. **It also states she was in no clubs at school, despite her being skilled at various things. Navigation es:Rika Sasaki Category:Characters Category:Female characters